Paes: "Protests haven't ended, and they won't end."
Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes views the protests as natural and says they are not "the end of the world." "It's part of a consolidated democracy. The approach has changed a lot; people are more empowered," he states. He believes the drop in his popularity is unjustified, as is that of Governor Sérgio Cabral. "What great blunder have I made in the last year to justify this assessment? There are mistakes, but I don't see a major blunder. Regarding Cabral, the level of attack, and eventual unpopularity, against a governor who did what he did is unjustified," he says. Paes promises to readjust Rio's bus fares in January 2014.
247 - The mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes, whose city found the most favorable environment for the June protests, says he views the protests as natural and that they are not "the end of the world." "It's a sign of a consolidated democracy. Much of the approach has changed; people are more empowered," he downplayed in an interview with the newspaper Folha de S. Paulo.
"Protests aren't bad. For me, who isn't running for election [in 2014], the issue isn't popularity. It's foolish to think about popularity now. The challenge is how to deal with this environment. The protests haven't ended and won't end. They may have different gradations. We politicians interpret things as if they were the end of the world. Protests aren't the end of the world, they're part of a consolidated democracy. The approach has changed, people are more empowered. It's hell. I tried not to shy away from the challenges. I held the bus tender, I no longer decide the fare adjustment in a closed room with a bunch of Portuguese [owners of the companies]," he says.
According to Paes, the drop in popularity of governors occurred everywhere, although Rio and São Paulo "suffered the most." "What major blunder have I made in the last year to justify this assessment? There are mistakes, but I don't see a major blunder," he says, when questioned about the drop in his approval rating. In 2012, he was re-elected with 64% of the valid votes. For the mayor, there is injustice in the assessment made of Governor Sérgio Cabral. "The level of attack, and eventual unpopularity, against a governor who did what he did is unjustified," he says.
The issue that triggered the first protests, the bus fare increase, according to Paes, tends to happen naturally in Rio, already in January. "I'm in favor. But if the Court of Auditors proves to me that the increase is not due, I won't do it. What I won't let happen in my city is falling into the trap that my friend Fernando Haddad is in. I'm not going to put public money in the hands of Portuguese people nor implement populist price controls," he says.